Coin receiving and registering device



May 7, 1957 H. w. WILLIAMS com RECEIVING AND REGISTERING DEVICE Filed July 6, 1954 I IHIHHHIHIHE llw/sA/Toe HARRY Ill/- WILL/4M5 HIS flTTOR/VE 3- United States Patent 01 COIN RECEIVING AND REGISTERING DEVICE Harry W. Williams, Richmond, Ind.

Application July 6, 1954, Serial No. 441,383

10 Claims. (Cl. 235--100) This invention relates to an improved coin receiving and registering device.

It is among the objects of the present invention to provide a unitary coin receiving and registering device which may be attached to a savings bank, a parking meter or any other similar device where it is desirable to indicate or register the total amounts of the monies deposited therein.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a unitary coin receiving and registering device of simple design and structure, accurate and substantially incapable of overthrow, and commercially productive at a minimum cost of time and material.

Further objects and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings wherein a preferred form of construction is illustrated.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a view of the one side of the assembled unit.

Fig. 2 is a view of the opposite side of the unit.

Fig. 3 is a bottom view of the unit shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is a top view of the unit shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an edge view of the slotted coin receiving and nesting operating lever of the unit.

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic view showing operative positions of the mechanism in solid and dotted lines when a nickel and a dime effect operation.

Fig. 7 is a similar view showing positions when a quarter is inserted to efiect operation.

Fig. 8 illustrates the actuator and the counter disc, sans numbers, operated thereby.

The feature of the present invention is the provision of camming surfaces of different pitch or throw on the operating lever, formed by the coins themselves as they are introduced into the unit for deposit and registration. When a coin is introduced into the unit it is received and held by the operating member or lever and forms a camming surface on said lever. Each camming surface, formed by the coins of different value and size, has a predetermined pitch or throw dependent upon the size of the coin inserted. An inserted nickel, held by said operating member, will form a camming surface thereon of predetermined pitch or throw. A dime held in the lever forms a camming surface having twice the pitch or throw of a nickel. A quarter in the lever forms a camming surface having five times the pitch or throw of a nickel. Thus it may be said that when a coin is inserted into the unit it is received and held by the operating lever and for operational purposes forms a part of the lever, specifically, a camming surface thereon. As the lever is rotated, its camming surface, formed by the carried coin, directly engages the actuator and rotates said actuator through a portion of a revolution controlled by the size of the coin carried by the lever. Rotation of the actuator will concurrently rotate a counter disc through one, two or five predetermined increments of a revolution, dependent upon whether a nickel, a dime, or a quarter is held in the operating lever. When this counter disc is rotated through a complete revolution which consists of twenty increments, a protuberance thereon will successively engage each of twenty teeth on a second counter disc which indicates in dollars the amount of coins de posited or inserted into the unit.

Referring to the drawings:

A supporting plate has a block 21 attached thereto, said block having two slots 22 and 23. Slot 22 receives dimes and slot 23, nickels and quarters. Two spindles 24 and 25 are carried in spaced relation by the plate 20. On one side of the plate 20, spindle 24 rotatably supports the operating lever or member 26 which has a disc-shaped head portion 27 concentric with said spindle 24. A shoulder 28 on said lever head portion 27 engages a stop pin 29 carried by plate 20. This holds lever 26 in its normal position against the effect of a spring 30, one end of which is anchored ofli-center to the lever head 27. Spring 30 is housed in an elongated slot 31 in the mounting plate 2%) as shown in Fig. l. The head portion 27 of lever 26 has a portion of its peripheral edge notched as at 32. A spring loaded dog 33, pivotally carried by plate 2%, engages this notched area of lever head 27 as it is rotated in either direction, said dog preventing a reversal in rotation of said lever before the predetermined full stroke of the lever in one or the other direction has been completed. The peripheral edge of the lever head portion 27 has two radial slots 35 and 4-0, one on one side of the head, the other directly opposite on the other side of the head 27. When the lever 26 is in normal position, slot 35 will align with the dime slot 22 in block 21 and slot in the lever head will align with the nickel and quarter slot 23 in said block 21. A dime 38 inserted into slot 22 will drop into the lever head slot 35 and be nested therein so that a predetermined portion of the dime 38 will extend beyond the edge of lever head 27 as shown in full lines in Fig. 6. Thus this exposed circular edge of dime 38 forms a camming surface of predetermined pitch or throw governed by the radial depth of slot 35.

On the other directly opposite side of lever head 27 the other radial slot 44) is provided as shown in dotted lines in Figs. 1, 6 and 7. A nickel inserted into slot 23 drops into and is nested in lever head slot 45), see Fig. 6, the exposed circular edge 41 of the nickel, dotted lines in Fig. 6, forming a camming surface on lever head 27 having a pitch or throw one-half that of the dime 38. Slot 40 in the lever head 2'7 as shown in Fig. 7 is also adapted to receive, although not completely nest, a quarter 42 which, when inserted into slot 23, drops into and is received by lever head slot 4%, the quarter 42 forming an extending camrning surface on said lever ead 27 having a pitch or throw five times that of the nickel 41. Thus as lever 26 is rotated counter-clockwise as regards Figs. 1, 6 and 7, the respective carnming surfaces nickel 41, dime 38, and quarter :2, individually providing an actuating cam on said lever, are consequently moved through a circular path concentric of spindle 2 5.

The spindle 25 rotatably supports the actuator 59 to which the other end of spring 3% is anchored, off-center, so that said spring normally holds shoulder 51 on the actuator against the stop pin 52 attached to plate 2%). Actuator 5d and lever 26 are on the same side of plate 20, their peripheral edges being side by side. The peripheral edge portions 53, 5'4 and 55 or" the actuator 56 are predeterminately contoured so that when a nickel, dime or quarter in the lever head engage these contoured edges of the actuator, said actuator will, in each instance, be rotated by said coins directly, each a predetermined distance, or more particularly, a fixed increment of a revolution byv the nickel 4-1, twice said fixed increment by a dime 3S, and five times said fixed increment by a quarter 42.

' Counter-clockwise rotation of lever 26 out of normal position will cause the coin in lever head 27 directly to engage and rotate the actuator 50 clockwise and thus spring 36 connected between said actuator and the lever head, will be tensioned, said spring returning the actuator and lever into normal, stop pin engaging positions when lever 26 is released after having been rotated counterclockwise through its complete cycle of movement which is determined by the shoulder 128 on the lever striking the stop pin 29. in this completely operated position of lever 26, any coin carried in the slots or in the lever head will be moved relatively to the actuator so that the coin is released and will drop into any receptacle provided for the purpose.

The respective spindles 24 and 25 support counter discs and 61 on the side of: plate 26 opposite the lever and the actuator. Disc 66 on spindle 24 has twenty equally spaced teeth 62 extending radially therefrom, the ends of these teeth being slightly spaced from the peripheral edge of the counter disc 61. The numerals 00, l, 2, 3 etc. to 19 appear in a circular row on the outer face of counter disc 60 and indicate the total amount registered in dollars. A spring loaded dog 63, pivotally attached to plate 29, has its wedge shaped end yieldably fitting into the spaces between the adjacent teeth 62 on disc 60 and acts as a releasable holder or brake for maintaining disc 60 in each indicating position.

Counter disc has a single tooth or protuberance 65 extending from its edge, said protuberance engaging successive teeth 62 on disc 60, once during each single revolution of disc 61. This rotates disc 69 through one increment of movement equal to the distance between adjacent teeth on disc 60.

A circular row of numbers 0.5, l0, 15 etc. to 95 appears on the outer face of disc 61 indicating in cents, the amount registered by the device. A plate 70 is apertured to fit over the spindles 24 and 25 and is secured to said spindles in any suitable manner. Plate 70 has an opening 71 forming a window or frame in which appear the numerals on discs 69 and 61 as they are successively moved into indicating position by operation of the unit, thus indicating the sum total of the coins inserted and registered. Disc 60 is rotated only by disc 61, the latter turning disc 60 one-twentieth of a revolution for each complete revolution of said disc 61.

Disc 61 is rotated by the actuator 50. On the inside surface of disc 61 there is attached a toothed ratchet wheel concentric with spindle 25. Wheel 80 has twenty equally spaced sawtooth-shaped teeth 81. The plate 20 is so contoured that teeth 81 on disc 61 extend beyond the adjacent edge of plate 20 as shown in Fig. 1 This renders ratchet wheel 80 on disc 61 accessible to a ratchet dog 83 pivotally attached to the actuator 50, said dog 83 being spring loaded so as to be urged into operative engagement with the ratchet wheel 80. Thereby, rotation of the actuator by a coin in the head 27 of lever 26 as it is rotated, results in a concurrent rotation in the same direction, of disc 61. Another ratchet dog 84, spring loaded and pivotally carried by the plate 20, see Fig. 8, engages the ratchet wheel 80 and prevents the reverse rotation thereof when the actuator and its ratchet dog 83 are reversely rotated by spring 30 to return to normal position upon completion of a coin registering cycle of operation.

When the coin receiving and registering unit of the present invention is used in a savings bank, lever 26 is manually operated in order to register and deposit coins in the bank. However, when the unit is used in a parking meter set-up, lever 26 is power actuated, preferably by any suitable mechanism usually set into motion by the deposit of the parking fee and which causes the time indicating pointer to move to the allotted time indicating position.

When the unit illustrated in the present drawings is used in a savings bank, it is attached within the bank housing so that slots 22 and 23, as well as lever 26 are accessible outside the housing. Opening 71 in plate 70 must also Cit d be visible outside the housing so that deposit indications may be noted. If a nickel is inserted into slot 23, it falls into the slot 40 in the lever head 27 and is nested and held therein. Now lever 26 is rotated counter-clockwise as regards Figs. 1 and 6, the nickel moving with the lever and virtually now a part of the lever, forming a camming surface on the head portion 27 of the lever. When this camming surface 41 engages the peripheral edge portion 55 of the actuator 50, see dotted lines Fig. 6, it rotates the actuator 56 clockwise, Figs. 1 and 6, a predetermined distance, after which the nickel will be released and drop into the bank housing. In this coin releasing position, shoulder 128 on the lever head engages the stop pin 29.

As the actuator is rotated by the nickel 41 in the lever head 27, the ratchet dog 83 on said actuator 50 will concurrently rotate the counter disc 61 through a single increment of its movement bringing the next adjacent number thereon into view in the opening 71 of plate 70. if originally the zero appeared in said opening 71, the numeral 5 will now be disclosed, indicating that a nickel. has been deposited. If a quarter is inserted into slot 23, it will. be seated and held in the slot 40 of the lever head 27 but not completely nested therein as did the nickel. Thus a camming surface 42 of greater pitch or throw is now provided on the lever head, said camming surface as shown at 42 in Fig. 7, moving the actuator through five times the distance rotatably as did the nickel 41. Consequently actuator 50 will rotate the disc 61 through five increments of a complete revolution thereby bringing the fifth following numeral or 30 in this instance into view in opening 71. If next a dime is inserted into slot 22, the dime will enter and be nested in lever head slot 35. Rotation of lever 26 through its operation range will cause the camming surface 38, formed by the dime, to rotate the actuator 50 and consequently disc 61 through two increments of a revolution, thus bringing the numeral 40 of disc 61 into view in opening 71. When disc 61 has been rotated a complete revolution its protuberance 65 will engage a tooth 62 on counter disc 60 and rotate said disc 60 through one increment or one-twentieth of a revolution, each of said movements bringing successive numerals into view in opening 71 to indicate in dollars the amount deposited and registered.

Thus it may be seen that the present invention provides a positively acting and accurate coin receiving and registering device in unitary form and adapted to be built into a savings bank, a device into which coins are deposited. In this particular device the coins inserted become a part of the operating mechanism and are moved directly to engage and opcrate the registering mechanism. Simplicity of construction maintains the costs of time and material to a minimum and assures accuracy.

What is claimed is as follows:

1. A coin receiving and registering device consisting of a stationary member supporting an operating lever having provisions for receiving and holding coins of different value and size so that each coin extends beyond an edge of said lever a predetermined greater distance than the other; two rotatable counter discs one of which has means operative in response to each complete revoltition thereof to engage and rotate the second disc through a predetermined increment of one revolution; a rotatable actuator carried by said stationary member so as to be coaxial with one of said counter discs and directly engageable by any one of the different sized coins carried by the operating lever, each coin rotating the actuator through a predetermined arc of movement in one direction only in response to operation of said operating lever; and a movement transmitting means carried by said actuator, said means being operative directly to connect the actuator with said one disc, said means being effective for rotating said one disc unitarily with the actuator, only when said actuator is rotated by a coin in said operating lever.

parking meter or any other 2. A coin receiving, and registering device consisting of a stationary mounting plate; two rotatable cooperating counter discs on said plate; an actuator carried by said plate; a pin on said plate coaxially supporting both the actuator and one of said counter discs; means on said actuator operatively engaging the said one counter disc for rotating it in one direction only; and an operating member carried by said plate coaxial with the second counter disc, said operating member having means for receiving and holding coins of difierent value and size, each coin on said member forming an individual camrning surface thereon, directly engageable with said actuator for rotating it through a predetermined increment of a revolution dependent upon the size and value of the coin.

3. A coin receiving and registering d'evic consisting of a stationary supporting plate carrying a movable member having means for receiving and holding difierent sized coins, said coins each forming an individual camrning surface of different pitch or throw on said movable member; an actuator rotatably supported by a pin on said plate, said actuator being directly engageable and operated by the coin on said movable member, the range of movement of said actuator depending upon the size of the engaging coin; two rotatable counter discs on said supporting plate, one disc being carried by the pin carrying the actuator and having means responsive to each revolution thereof to engage and operate the other disc through a predetermined increment of a revolution thereof; and movement transmitting means on the actuator, directly, operatively connecting said one counter disc with the actuator while said actuator is being operated by a coin on the movable member.

4. A coin receiving and registering device consisting of a supporting plate having two spindles each extending from both sides thereof; an operating lever rotatably carried by one spindle on said plate, said lever having slots each respectively adapted to receive and releasably hold a certain size coin, each coin in a slot extending beyond the peripheral edge of said lever, one to a greater degree than the other, each coin forming a carnming surface on said lever; two counter discs rotatably carried by the respective spindles on said supporting plate, one disc being operative during one complete revolution thereof to engage and operate the second disc through one predetermined increment of a revolution thereof, said second disc being carried by the spindle supporting the operating lever; an actuator rotatably carried by the supporting plate and being directly engageable by the respective coins on the operating member and directly operated thereby in response to rotation of said lever and in accordance with the size of the coin on said lever; and means carried by said actuator and directly, operatively engaging said one counter disc, said means being operative to effect concurrent, unitary rotation of the coin operated actuator and said one disc in one direction only.

5. A coin receiving and registering device consisting of a supporting plate; two counter discs rotatably carried by separate spindles on said plate, one disc having means for engaging the second disc and rotating it through one predetermined increment of a revolution in response to each complete revolution of said one disc; an actuator rotatably carried by the spindle which carries said one disc; a ratchet wheel attached coaxially to said one disc; a spring loaded ratchet dog on the actuator operative to actuate the ratchet wheel and thereby rotate the said one counter disc in one direction only; and an operating member rotatably carried by the spindle which supports the second counter disc on the supporting plate, said member having a plurality of slots each one of which is adapted to receive and releasably hold a coin, one of different size and denomination than the other, each coin when in a respective slot in the operating member extending beyond the edge of said member a different distance and forming a carnming surface on said member, one of greater pitch or throw than the other, and directly engageable with said actuator for rotating it in response to rotation of said member and through an arc of rotation commensurate with the size and value of the coin.

6. A coin receiving and registering device consisting of a stationary supporting plate; two counter discs rotatably carried by separate spindles on said plate, one disc having a single protuberance successively engageable with each one of a plurality of equally spaced teeth on the second counter disc for rotating said second disc through a predetermined increment of a revolution for each com- 'plete revolution of said one disc; a spring loaded brake lever yieldably urged into braking engagement with the second counter disc to prevent accidental rotation thereof; a ratchet wheel secured to said one counter disc; an actuator rotatably carried by the same spindle that supports the said one counter disc on the plate thereby rendering said actuator concentric with said one counter disc; a spring loaded ratchet on the actuator operatively engaging the ratchet wheel on the said one disc for rotating said disc in one direction only; a stop pin on the supporting plate engaged by the actuator when in normal position; a lever having a disc-shaped head portion rotatably secured to the spindle which secures the said second counter disc to the supporting plate, two radial slots in the peripheral edge of the said head portion, one on each side thereof, one slot being shaped to receive and hold a coin of one size and value so that a predetermined portion of the coin extends beyond the peripheral edge of the lever head and forms a camming surface thereon of predetermined pitch or throw, the other slot in the lever head being shaped to receive and hold a coin of different value and size so that a portion of the coin extends beyond the edge of the lever head to form a camming surface of another pitch or throw, said other slot being operative to hold still another coin of greater value and size than the aforementioned coin, thereby forming still another camming edge on said lever head of greater pitch or throw, said respective camrning surfaces being individually operative, in response to rotation of said lever head, to engage and rotate the actuator through predetermined ranges of movement; a stop pin on said supporting plate, engageable by said lever when in normal position; and a spring interposed between the lever and actuator, yieldably urging them into normal engagement with their respective stop pins.

7. A device in accordance with claim 6 in which the said one slot in the disc-shaped head portion of the lever receives and nests a dime which extends beyond the peripheral edge of said head portion of the lever to form a camming surface thereon of predetermined pitch directly engageable with the actuator, the said other slot receiving and nesting a nickel which forms another camming surface on said lever head of half the pitch of the camming surface formed by the dime, said other slot also being adapted to receive and hold a quarter which forms a third camming surface on the lever head having a pitch five times that formed by the nickel, all camming surfaces formed by the respective coins, the dime, the nickel and the quarter, being directly engageable with the said actuator for rotating it through respective predetermined increments of rotation, each coin being released by said lever after the actuator has been moved through a complete increment of moviment determined by the respective coin carried by said lever.

8, A coin receiving and registering device consisting of a stationary plate having two spaced spindles attached thereto and extending from both sides of said plate; a counter disc and an operating lever rotatably supported on one of said spindles and at opposite sides of said plate; a second counter disc and an actuator rotatably supported by the second spindle, both counter discs cooperatively aligning on one side of said plate, and the operating lever arc ers and actuator cooperatively aligning on the opposite side of the plate; a motion transmitting device carried by the actuator and engaging the second counter disc, said device being operative to effect rotation of said second disc with the actuator in one direction only and to permit relative rotation therebetween in the opposite direction; means provided on the operating lever for receiving and nesting coins of different value and size so that the peripheral edges of said coins protrude beyond the edge of said lever, each a predetermined amount, to form camming surfaces on said lever capable of engaging and rotating the actuator through an arc of rotation commensurate with the size of the coin in the lever as it is rotated; and a common spring anchored to both the lever and actuator, said spring being operative to return both lever and actuator into normal position after completion of a coin registering cycle of operation.

9 A coin receiving and registering device consisting of a stationary plate having two spaced spindles extending from both sides of said plate; an operating lever with a disc-shaped head portion rotatably carried by one of said spindles; a counter disc and an actuator rotatably carried by the other spindle, each on a respective side of the plate, the actuator on the same side of the plate as the operating lever; a motion transmitting device mounted on the actuator and engaging the counter disc, said device being operative to effect rotation of said disc unitarily with the actuator in one direction only; means on the operating lever for receiving and nesting coins of different sizes so that the edge of each coin protrudes beyond the edge of the lever a predetermined distance 8 and forms a camrning edge on said lever operative to engage and rotate the actuator through an arc of rotation commensurate with the size of the coin moving with the operating lever.

10. A coin receiving and registering device consisting of a stationary plate having two spaced spindles extending from both sides of said plate; an operating lever rotatably carried by one of said spindles; a counter disc rotatably carried by the other spindle; a motion transmitting actuator also rotatably carried by said other spindle, but at the side of the plate opposite the counter disc; spring loaded means carried by the actuator and engaging the counter disc, said means being operative drivingly to connect said actuator with the counter disc to effect uniform rotation of said counter disc and actuator in one direction only and permit their relative rotation in the other direction; and means on the operating lever for receiving and nesting coins of different sizes so that the coins each has a portion of its respective edges protruding from said lever to form predetermined camming portions on said lever operative to engage and rotate the actuator through an arc of rotation commensurate with the size of the coin in said lever.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 409,649 Pforzheimer Aug. 20, 1889 1,310,833 Johnson July 22, 1919 1,933,082 Wallick Oct. 31, 1933 2,232,666 Sandkuhl Feb. 18, 1941 

